Tickets
English
DonateMembershipTickets

Brush Holder

dated 1908
Not on view
The brush pot is painted in ink with a scene of a twisting plum branch growing above and behind a craggy and precariously-tilted rock. A poem, presumably written by the artist who painted the pot, fills the remaining space. A six-character mark written on the bottom indicates that the pot was produced during the Guangxu period at the end of the Qing dynasty:

金吉金寫菖蒲，拳石曰石為嫁蒲。余謂既嫁蒲家郎，非梅不得也。余亦寫菖蒲拳石，表綴梅華 一枝。戊午胡公壽記于海上精舍。[印]：公壽

Jin Jijin [Jin Nong, 1687-1764] painted the calamus, mentioning [in the inscription] the [metaphorical] marriage of a lump of rock to the calamus. In my opinion, for marrying the young man of the calamus family, the plum is indispensable. I paint calamus and rocks, too, to set off the plum branch. In the wuwu year [1858] Hu Gongshou (1823-1886) records this in his studio in Shanghai. [seal]: Gongshou 大清光緒年製
Made in the Guangxu reign era [1875-1908] of the Great Qing dynasty.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Brush Holder
  • Period: Qing dynasty (1644–1911), Guangxu period (1875–1908)
  • Date: dated 1908
  • Culture: China
  • Medium: Porcelain painted with ink over a white glaze (Dehua ware)
  • Dimensions: H. 5 7/8 in. (14.9 cm); Diam. 4 3/8 in. (11.1 cm)
  • Classification: Ceramics
  • Credit Line: Gift of Gilbert Ireland, 2012
  • Object Number: 2012.527.3
  • Curatorial Department: Asian Art

More Artwork

More Artwork
A slider containing 5 items.
Press the down key to skip to the last item.
Frame Drum, Wood, hide, Chinese (Uighyur)
Frame Drum
Chinese (Uighyur)
late 20th Century
Brush Washer, Porcelain with clair de lune glazes, China
Brush Washer
China
ca. 1700–22
Archer's Ring with Taoist Symbols (清 扳指), Wood, Chinese
Archer's Ring with Taoist Symbols (清 扳指)
Chinese
19th century
Brush Pot with Scene of Washing an Elephant, Porcelain painted with cobalt blue under transparent glaze (Jingdezhen ware), China
Brush Pot with Scene of Washing an Elephant
China
mid-17th century
Archer's Ring (清 扳指), Bone, Chinese
Archer's Ring (清 扳指)
Chinese
17th–19th century

Research Resources

The Met provides unparalleled resources for research and welcomes an international community of students and scholars. The Met's Open Access API is where creators and researchers can connect to the The Met collection. Open Access data and public domain images are available for unrestricted commercial and noncommercial use without permission or fee.

To request images under copyright and other restrictions, please use this Image Request form.

Feedback

We continue to research and examine historical and cultural context for objects in The Met collection. If you have comments or questions about this object record, please contact us using the form below. The Museum looks forward to receiving your comments.

Send feedback

Content Notice

The Metropolitan Museum of Art presents over 5,000 years of art from around the world, and our online collection reflects ongoing work conducted over the course of our more than 150-year history. You may encounter objects or images that may be inappropriate for some viewers or information that may be outdated.